Leinster v Scarlets

First topic message reminder :

Possibility we may see the return of Leo Cullen for this.

McGrath
Dundon
Moore
McCarthy
Cullen/Denton
Ruddock
Jennings
Murphy

Boss
Gopperth
Tuqiri
Madigan
Fitzgerald
D Kearney
Kirchner

Cronin
Bent
Furlong
Roux
McLaughlin
Reddan
Macken
Hudson

None of the well tractor tyre marked Internationals likely to feature after their efforts 6 days previous to this game. (Down side of having 17 out of 23 in the Ireland squad)

How do you Scarlets feel with a fair bit of your backline and 1 forward missing to Wales?

Great advert for the rabo that one.

Very comfortable that one. 

Macken, Moore prior to going off, McGrath and Kirchner all very, very good. Good to see Cronin looking like he has a bit more confidence. Needs to hook though

Before hand I would have honestly been happy with that result, but now I am a bit miffed we missed out on the LBP/TBP as we could have snuck away with two points there. All in all that was a pretty good match and some real displays of skills on both sides, some bizarre calls from the ref at times, but that is part of the learning process etc. Like VinceWLB said it was a great advert for the Rabo, and personally I think it was also two fingers up to people who think that it loses any fire/passion/skills because teams do not/can not field their international start studded teams every single game. Both sides were missing a decent number of first-team stars, but both still showed real class in some of their tries, individually for some tries and as a team for others.

My major gripe is I watch this on S4C with the English commentary, and Rick O'Shea and Brynmor Williams were a disgrace to commentators full stop. I shouted more at the TV at them than I did in the match. ("Scarlets are like the Dragons and have only one or two players on international duty, so shouldn't be as effected as by call up for this match as Leinster are" ; 6mins in - "Scarlets had 25 phases in the first five mins. All though there I doubt that they will get another 25 in total the rest of the game"...... )

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Before hand I would have honestly been happy with that result, but now I am a bit miffed we missed out on the LBP/TBP as we could have snuck away with two points there.  All in all that was a pretty good match and some real displays of skills on both sides, some bizarre calls from the ref at times, but that is part of the learning process etc.  Like VinceWLB said it was a great advert for the Rabo, and personally I think it was also two fingers up to people who think that it loses any fire/passion/skills because teams do not/can not field their international start studded teams every single game.  Both sides were missing a decent number of first-team stars, but both still showed real class in some of their tries, individually for some tries and as a team for others.

My major gripe is I watch this on S4C with the English commentary, and Rick O'Shea and Brynmor Williams were a disgrace to commentators full stop.  I shouted more at the TV at them than I did in the match. ("Scarlets are like the Dragons and have only one or two players on international duty, so shouldn't be as effected as by call up for this match as Leinster are" ; 6mins in - "Scarlets had 25 phases in the first five mins.  All though there I doubt that they will get another 25 in total the rest of the game"...... )

Could be worse - you could have had to listen to everyone's favourite talking scrotum, George Hook.
 
Will never forget that studio interview when Scotland beat Ireland in February and Hook's first comment was "I mean, come ON. We should have beaten...[waving hands as though trying to dispel a particularly brutal fart] *these* guys".

George Carlin wrote:Could be worse - you could have had to listen to everyone's favourite talking scrotum, George Hook.
 
Will never forget that studio interview when Scotland beat Ireland in February and Hook's first comment was "I mean, come ON. We should have beaten...[waving hands as though trying to dispel a particularly brutal fart] *these* guys".

 

You do a massive disservice to talking scrotums the world over.

Thought Leinster went to sleep and lost a lot of intensity in the middle of the game. Scarlets have some fine players.
I was surprised and impressed that the ref went back to the TMO for the foot trip, a valid yellow.  You could tell in real time that something was strange about that tackle (Lote looked a mixture of really bemused and shocked when he was mid flight in that tackle).
Also thought that Lote tackled a scarlet player in the air which should have been penalised (he did hold the player and bring him safely back to his feet, maybe not a yellow, but should have been a penalty).
From the stand, the ref seemed very quick to yellow Cullen.  Felt like an itchy trigger finger on the home team when they hadn't conceded many penalties.  At the same time, I reckon a scarlet front row could have been in the bin for so much pressure at scrum time.
Oh, and there wasn't an off side line for the majority of the game, both team realised that and were really taking the perverbial by the end of the game.

Looks like Lote won't be kept on although MOC is still hopefull.

thebandwagonsociety wrote:Thought Leinster went to sleep and lost a lot of intensity in the middle of the game. Scarlets have some fine players.
I was surprised and impressed that the ref went back to the TMO for the foot trip, a valid yellow.  You could tell in real time that something was strange about that tackle (Lote looked a mixture of really bemused and shocked when he was mid flight in that tackle).
Also thought that Lote tackled a scarlet player in the air which should have been penalised (he did hold the player and bring him safely back to his feet, maybe not a yellow, but should have been a penalty).
From the stand, the ref seemed very quick to yellow Cullen.  Felt like an itchy trigger finger on the home team when they hadn't conceded many penalties.  At the same time, I reckon a scarlet front row could have been in the bin for so much pressure at scrum time.
Oh, and there wasn't an off side line for the majority of the game, both team realised that and were really taking the perverbial by the end of the game.

I think a few of the Scarlets asked about that tackle, and the ref said that the TMO would let him know if he thought there was anything worth looking at twice. I agree that maybe a yellow for Jacobie Adriaanse would have been justified, especially seeing as the ref decided it was a pen try. I was not too sure what to think about Timani's trip, even watching the replay I couldn't decide if he was trying to plant his foot to give himself more stability, or if he had decided that he wasn't going to bring Tiquiri down in the tackle, and that a trip was needed. But all in all the ref seemed fairly even handed, but a bit green. Although that is too be expected with some of the refs in the Rabo, especially at this time of year, as they are learning the trade so to speak.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

thebandwagonsociety wrote:Thought Leinster went to sleep and lost a lot of intensity in the middle of the game. Scarlets have some fine players.
I was surprised and impressed that the ref went back to the TMO for the foot trip, a valid yellow.  You could tell in real time that something was strange about that tackle (Lote looked a mixture of really bemused and shocked when he was mid flight in that tackle).
Also thought that Lote tackled a scarlet player in the air which should have been penalised (he did hold the player and bring him safely back to his feet, maybe not a yellow, but should have been a penalty).
From the stand, the ref seemed very quick to yellow Cullen.  Felt like an itchy trigger finger on the home team when they hadn't conceded many penalties.  At the same time, I reckon a scarlet front row could have been in the bin for so much pressure at scrum time.
Oh, and there wasn't an off side line for the majority of the game, both team realised that and were really taking the perverbial by the end of the game.

I think a few of the Scarlets asked about that tackle, and the ref said that the TMO would let him know if he thought there was anything worth looking at twice.  I agree that maybe a yellow for Jacobie Adriaanse would have been justified, especially seeing as the ref decided it was a pen try.  I was not too sure what to think about Timani's trip, even watching the replay I couldn't decide if he was trying to plant his foot to give himself more stability, or if he had decided that he wasn't going to bring Tiquiri down in the tackle, and that a trip was needed.  But all in all the ref seemed fairly even handed, but a bit green.  Although that is too be expected with some of the refs in the Rabo, especially at this time of year, as they are learning the trade so to speak.

One other item I thought was a great move from Scarlets was that lineout in the second half.  It so wasn't a penalty against Scarlets.  Leinster had a lineout, scarlets didn't contest. Leinster formed their 'maul' but no scarlet player made contact the 'maul' so in fact there was no 'maul'. Leinster moved the ball to the back of the 'maul'.  I would have thought two things could be done then by scarlets. (1) a single scarlets player touches the front of that maul, then those Leinster players are deliberately obstructing the path to the man in possession and it is a penalty or (2) a scarlets player can run around to the back of the 'maul' and contest for the ball.  I think the scarlets did (2) here and were completely legal.  But the ref blew a penalty against them for going in the side.  Also, I believe Leinster pack knew they were rumbled because they didn't even start to make progress down the field.  Did them standing still stop it becoming a maul?  I just couldn't figure out how it wasn't a penalty against Leinster.

He said something about it not being in at the side in the maul, but afterwards, I didn't see it though. Also that lineout trick has never been reffed correctly IMO, it tends to end up as a pen for in the side.

In a friendly Barnes actually sent one of our blokes off for ten mins for doing exactly the same as we did against you lot